The ranking of China’s e-government development index (EGDI) has gone up to 45th out of more than 190 UN member states, according to the recently released 2020 edition of the United Nations E‑Government Survey.

A resident scans a QR code to learn about administrative review and approval procedures at the government service center in Jingzhou, central China’s Hubei province. (Photo: Huang Zhigang)

Its online service index, a key indicator of a country’s e-government development, ranked ninth in the world, which is regarded as “very high level”, the survey said.

This remarkable progress has been made thanks to China’s efforts to build a digital government, which is vital for modernizing the country’s capacity for governance.

China emphasized the “internet plus government services” model in the 2016 government work report for the first time.

In recent years, local governments have deepened reform to optimize the business environment through e-government development, enabling enterprises and the public to enjoy better access to government services.

For example, east China’s Zhejiang province has introduced safety QR codes for better transmission of information during typhoons or flood situations. Residents can use a safety QR code and get their information registered through the mini-program on Chinese online payment giant Alipay.

Whenever a typhoon or flood strikes, red QR codes mean that affected residents should be transferred as soon as possible. They can also enter shelters and obtain relief materials using their QR code.

In addition to the safety QR code, Hangzhou, the capital city in the province, also promotes e-government through digital solutions.

Lin Xiangrui, deputy head of the police station in Linpu township in the city’s Xiaoshan district, said that the local authority uses Alibaba’s communication app DingTalk for targeted and timely transmission of flood information.

“The app helps us learn who has been informed, so we can take targeted measures to inform the rest, saving a lot of time by eliminating potential risks on the front line of flood control,” Lin noted, adding that residents can also report potential safety risks via the app.

Just as the health QR code played an active role amid the COVID-19 epidemic at the beginning of the year, the safety code is also contributing to flood control efforts.

Another example is an integrated online-offline one-stop public service system initiated by Shanghai. The UN E-Government Survey 2020 cited the system in the city as an example of successful e-government.

The construction of digital government has reached a new stage in China, during which Beijing, and provincial governments in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui have rolled out their online government service platforms.

A national integrated online government service platform was put into trial operation in November last year. The platform had 339 million registered users, which means that one out of three internet users in China had registered on the platform.

“In a manner of speaking, China leads the world in e-government services in terms of user experience, coverage and upgrading,” said Liu Song, vice president of Alibaba.